Cushing Academy, a private, co-ed high school in northern Massachusetts is one of the first school libraries to make the switch from print books to e-books. According to USA Today, the school decided to change to electronic books because students were hardly using the print collection. Economics also played a role in the decision. The school administration is hoping that e-books will cost the school less than print books in the long run.
E-books aren't the only new devices in the Cushing library. It is now home to 3 big-screen TVs and a coffee bar, which features a $12,000 espresso machine. Hmm.
As a librarian, I wonder if the school might be jumping the gun by getting rid of the majority of their print books. I'm all for new technology and I'm all for getting books into the hands of kids, whether they are ink-and-paper books or e-books. Let's face it: reading is reading. My concern is whether or not a library that couldn't get kids to read regular books is going to be able to get them to read e-books.
Yes, for some kids and teens, technology is the perfect hook to get them reading. But for many others, it isn't the format of the book that makes the difference, it is finding the right book for the right child. I've seen many kids go from being non-readers to readers because of one book. Consider the popularity of books like Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Twilight. Some kids fall in love with reading because of a particular author or genre. You never know what type of book will motivate someone to read.
In the end, I don't think it really matters if you give someone a paperback book, a magazine, a newspaper, a laptop, or an e-book. What matters is that the right book somehow gets into the right hands.
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